There’s a road near my house that was built early in the automobile era. It was built so that early adopter car owners would have something to do with their cars–a parkway that went nowhere in particular, perfect for a Sunday drive.
Along the way, the term “Sunday driver” has become a criticism. It describes a meandering, purposeless driver. A driver who might be watching the scenery instead of paying attention to the road–someone who rarely yields the right of way and probably causes more than a small number of accidents when surrounded by drivers who are in a hurry.
We went from Sunday driving being the point to it being a hindrance, because the road is hard to share.
The digital world we live in was created and populated for Sunday drivers. It’s only in the last two decades that, like expressways, it has become a center of commerce and industry.
But unlike the scarcity of the road, the digital world has lots of space.
There are several internets. One is filled with hobbies and connection and possibility. And sometimes we confuse it with the other one, the one that’s at the center of our commercial life.
Most of the time, internet Sunday drivers don’t bother anyone, and perhaps we can all learn a lesson from their desire and ability to make the journey worth the effort.